Jason Klein and Casey White are more than just a couple of artists who sketch a few ideas and present them to a client. They immerse themselves quickly in a town's history, brainstorm, create fonts, and draw, draw, draw. The rotund mascots who amble atop dugouts, the colorful signage, the images of fierce-looking animals adorning concession stands and caps all start with rough sketches by pencil, .03 lead to be exact.

Several years ago, new team owner Ken Babby recognized the fan base had lost its connection to the Akron Aeros, the Class AA team of the Cleveland Indians.

"We had an identity problem," Pfander said. He said Babby's goal was simple: "Let's breathe some life back into Akron."

The team chose the name RubberDucks, one of the finalists from fan submissions. But to craft that identity, to truly brand it, meant the two California natives had to quickly learn about the Rubber City.

Klein and White toured Akron, visiting blimp hangars and Stricklands Frozen Custard. They learned how the city was laid out by the rubber companies, the geographic influences of Goodyear and Firestone.

"We're here in the Rubber City, we're going to tell a story," Klein said. "How do we do it in a way that's interesting?"

They quickly eschewed associating 'RubberDucks' with the squeaky toy. They sought a more provocative look using symbols endemic to Akron.

"This guy's made of galvanized black rubber, flame and fire," White said of the logo.

Walk into Canal Park and the team's identity is everywhere. Examine the logo closely and you'll see blue streaks along the black letters. Tire treads found in many of the RubberDucks' logos are inspired by hot-rod racing. Early drafts even incorporated wings, a reference to Goodyear.

The evolution saw dozens of ideas, from early Daffy Duck-like drawings to rail-thin ducks to huskier ones.

The result: A scrappy, determined-looking duck head with swirling tire treads swooshing out.

Their typography and logos are scattered throughout ballparks. In Canal Park, Brandiose created signage for Fowl Territory. Multiple rough drafts were drawn up for the Eastern League All-Star game in 2016, with the evolution moving from one that showed the state of Ohio to the one they went with that focused more on the ballpark.

How they work

The duo starts all projects with intense 48- to 72-hour trips to the Williamsports, Altoonas and Wilmingtons of the world. They have gotten to the point where they don't want to hear "We're all about family and fun." Sure, they'll say, but what's in this community, what are the forces and tensions, the scars, what's here to celebrate?

"Great brands on built on great stories," White said. "Everything we do is based on history. ... We're not doing a corporate logo, we're doing a fun Disney-esque logo, but it still has to be reproducible."

The name comes first, followed by the drawing board. Creativity fuels the work, but they have to keep in mind a variety of factors:

* Logos on hats take on a vertical look. "Your primary logo is our hat logo. ... Some of the secondary stuff, you don't know. I want it to live beyond its corporate identity," White said. Part of that also means if a team wants to morph a logo into, say, a pink theme for breast-cancer awareness, it still has to work.

* They have to keep in mind placement: It's one thing to see a logo on a dugout. But if it is emblazoned on a billboard by the side of a road with only a few seconds of sight time, it needs to be stark and memorable.

* They create specific colors. Some of the original colors for the RubberDucks' artwork included Tennessee orange, UCLA blue and - of all things - Michigan maize. Colors are created for digital reproduction, textiles and other uses.

* Mascots are also important parts of a team's identity, and must be created to last. "You go to Disneyland, they're not going to kill off princesses," Pfander said.

Minor-league roots and research

Brandiose's beginnings are rooted in friendship and perseverance. As 20-year-old college students, the duo sent 150 queries to minor-league teams. Only one team, the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx, got back to them.

"If we like it, we'll buy it," came the response.

They did, and the fun began. Brandiose's resume now includes work on 60 to 70 minor-league teams.

While the company works with other firms and teams - hockey, basketball, Nike and Mattel - "baseball is where we made our name," White said.

Subtle touches and history drive smart design. They have created 10 to 12 fonts for baseball teams, including the 19th century look for the Cincinnati Reds, the first professional team with roots to 1869.

But it's minor-league baseball where they made their mark. Or marks, as it were. The leagues don't take themselves too seriously, nor should they. As Pfander likes to say, everything within the foul lines is controlled by the parent club. Everything outside the lines? That's up to him.

In Richmond, Virginia, they learned that King George once implored his troops to "bring me the rat that flies." That seed of reference eventually blossomed into a super-hero-looking flying squirrel.

"Those guys do a lot of research," said Ben Rothrock, general manager of the Richmond Flying Squirrels. "They do a lot of things that are relevant and indigenous to that area. In our case, they (flying squirrels) are indigenous to our area."

The Swing of the Quad Cities were given an S shaped like a saxophone, an homage to the long-standing jazz history in the Iowa-Illinois locale.

The Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs in Allentown, Pennsylvania, pay tribute to the area's steel roots. Pig iron is what is converted into steel.

The Chihuahuas of El Paso - not known as the prettiest part of Texas - were given a logo of a scowling dog - fierce, feisty and edgy, White and Klein said, to represent their corner of the state.

For the Casper Ghosts, formerly in Wyoming, Brandiose invented a glow-in-the-dark hat. And the Altoona Curve got the first on-field rally cap.

The Lakeland Flying Tigers are an homage to the P-40 Flying Tiger planes that flew during World War II, the menacing shark-like teeth painted on the exterior of cockpits.

In the end, though, what Klein and White learned about each other soon after they met in a kindergarten yard still drives them today.